Modulation Switching Strategy Research Articles

Soft switching modulation strategy based on bipolar (PSM) with improved efficiency in high-frequency link inverters

High Frequency-Link (HFL) Inverters have been employed to integrate renewable energy sources into utility grids and electric vehicles. The soft-switching range of High-Frequency Link Inverters (HFLI) is increased using auxiliary inductors and capacitors. The application of auxiliary components increases the conduction loss and the complexity of the circuit. The literature indicates that the existing soft-switching methods suffer from higher duty cycle loss, voltage spikes, and lower efficiency owing to the resonance between the parasitic capacitance of switches and the leakage inductance of the transformer. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a modulation strategy that can improve the efficiency of HFLI. In this context, the proposed study develops a cycloconverter-type High-Frequency Link Inverter (CHFLI) based on a Bipolar Phase Shift Modulation (BPSM) strategy without the use of auxiliary components. The proposed modulation strategy enables the semiconductor switches to operate under zero voltage switching. The full-bridge inverter and Full Bridge Active Clamper Circuit (FBAC) switches operate at the same gating signals with a constant duty cycle of 50%. The proposed topology uses built-in magnetizing inductance to achieve zero voltage switching and reduce the duty cycle loss. The leakage energy is recycled from the output filter inductor to the load side using the FBAC. The results indicate that the proposed modulation strategy achieves ZVS and simultaneously achieves an efficiency of 95%. The proposed modulation strategy is easy to implement and does not require complex circuitry.

Design and Development of High Frequency Inverter for Wireless Power Transfer Application

A number of power electronics converter topologies are implemented as Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems applications expand. In these applications, the optimal converter design is essential for handling the high power and frequency operation. In this paper, Simulation & Hardware development of High frequency Inverter with 90KHz frequency with Pulse Width Modulation switching strategy is presented. The inverter topology is simulated in 2021a version MATLAB/Simulink with R and RL loads and its conversion ability is proven through relevant waveforms. Simultaneously designed and developed prototype model of power rating 100watt with Mosfet as switches at output voltage of 230V with R load and analyse the output behaviour of voltage waveforms at various loads. The outcomes show effective enhancements for the proposed design.

Analysis and Control for Wind Energy Conversion System with Five-Level Neutral-Point Clamped Inverter

Multi-level neutral point clamped inverters allow for higher resolution AC outputs and increase the overall efficiency, but higher-level inverters also increase cost exponentially with level and control of the neutral point voltage becomes more difficult through processor capability. The method used within this paper seeks to reduce algorithm complexity by using a two-level space-vector pulse width modulation algorithm-based method while simultaneously implementing a neutral point voltage control embedded within to ensure signal integrity to drive a five-level neutral-point clamped inverter. The increased level of the neutral-point clamped inverter will allow for higher switching efficiency by reducing voltage stress on the switching devices and more stability through reduction of harmonics in the AC output waveform. Results from simulation show the increase in resolution of the AC outputs to both the utility grid and the permanent magnet synchronous generator when compared to a three-level neutral-point clamped inverter using a standard space-vector pulse width modulation switching scheme.

A Review of Compensation Topologies and Control Techniques of Bidirectional Wireless Power Transfer Systems for Electric Vehicle Applications

Owing to the constantly rising energy demand, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-equipped vehicles are being replaced by Electric Vehicles (EVs). The other advantage of using EVs is that the batteries can be utilised as an energy storage device to increase the penetration of renewable energy sources. Integrating EVs with the grid is one of the recent advancements in EVs using Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. A bidirectional technique enables power transfer between the grid and the EV batteries. Moreover, the Bidirectional Wireless Power Transfer (BWPT) method can support consumers in automating the power transfer process without human intervention. However, an effective BWPT requires a proper vehicle and grid coordination with reasonable control and compensation networks. Various compensation techniques have been proposed in the literature, both on the transmitter and receiver sides. Selecting suitable compensation techniques is a critical task affecting the various design parameters. In this study, the basic compensation topologies of the Series–Series (SS), Series–Parallel (SP), Parallel–Parallel (PP), Parallel–Series (SP), and hybrid compensation topology design requirements are investigated. In addition, the typical control techniques for bidirectional converters, such as Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID), sliding mode, fuzzy logic control, model predictive, and digital control, are discussed. In addition, different switching modulation schemes, including Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) control, PWM + Phase Shift control, Single-Phase Shift, Dual-Phase Shift, and Triple-Phase Shift methods, are discussed. The characteristics and control strategies of each are presented, concerning the typical applications. Based on the review analysis, the low-power (Level 1/Level 2) charging applications demand a simple SS compensation topology with a PID controller and a Single-Phase Shift switching method. However, for the medium- or high-power applications (Level 3/Level 4), the dual-side LCC compensation with an advanced controller and a Dual-Side Phase-Shift switching pattern is recommended.

Effects of Random Switching Schemes on the EMI Levels of Conventional and Interleaved Buck Converters for Mobile Devices

This study presents a comprehensive detailed analysis of the effect of five different random modulation switching schemes and their randomness levels on the elector magnetic interference (EMI) of designed simple and interleaved DC-DC buck converters for smartphone applications. The analyzed switching schemes are pulse width modulation (PWM), random pulse width modulation (RPWM), random pulse position modulation (RPPM), random carrier frequency modulation various duty (RCFMVD), and random carrier frequency modulation fixed duty (RCFMFD). The experimental analysis is performed for all aforementioned switching modulation schemes at the switching frequency of 20 kHz and different randomness levels (RL) (30% to 85%). For a fixed RL of 40%, the switching current harmonics/conducted emission (CE) levels are 5–10 dB/11 dBμV and 17 dB/14 dBμV lower for the RCFMVD case when compared to conventional PWM for both simple and interleaved buck-converters, respectively. The observed switching current harmonics and CE levels for interleaved schemes are around 23 dB and 12 dBμV lower when compared to the conventional simple buck converter scheme for the analyzed circuit configurations. The EMI levels decrease with the increase in the randomness levels from 30% to 85% with less variations in the output voltage level. The findings suggest that a interleaved buck converter circuit with the least-independent switching mechanisms and higher randomness is more appropriate for the reduction of both current spikes and CE levels with RCFMFD as the switching modulation scheme.

Magnetic Signature Reduction by Converter Switching Frequency Modulation in Degaussing Systems

Ships can avoid to be detected by magnetic mines by reducing their magnetic signature with degaussing coils. Degaussing currents are provided by switched mode power supplies which impose a current ripple on top of the degaussing current. The ripple might be visible in the magnetic signature which would increase the detectability of the ship. A way to reduce the ripple in the magnetic field is to use a switching modulation scheme in the degaussing power supplies. In this paper, a magnetic model of a ship with degaussing coils is described. It is used to find the magnitude of the ripple in the magnetic signature. Also the effect of reducing the current ripple by frequency modulation is investigated. Several modulation schemes are modelled. It is found that the ripple in the magnetic signature is often, but not always, negligible due to attenuation by the ship’s hull. For low frequency switching applications, like high temperature superconductor degaussing systems, the ripple is visible in the magnetic signature. It is found that switching frequency modulation is a very effective technique to reduce the ripple of degaussing currents. Of the tested schemes, random lead lag and random switching frequency are the most effective.

Space Vector Pulse-Width Modulation Control Strategy for Four-Leg Inverters Under Single Line-to-Ground Faults in Islanded Microgrids

In this paper, we propose a novel switching modulation scheme for three-phase four-leg inverters that enables the separation of the fault points occurring in AC distribution networks. The proposed method is aimed at continuously supplying normal voltage to the remaining healthy phases while applying zero voltage to any faulty phase when a single line-to-ground (SLG) fault occurs in the distribution network. This modulation scheme allows isolation without physically blocking the point of failure. This can prevent unnecessary continuous outages in the AC distribution network. To this end, we propose a novel coordinate transformation method to extract accurate values for the magnitude of unbalanced three-phase voltages. A novel space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) method for switching schemes that are used under fault conditions is also presented. The proposed coordinate transformation considers a plane lying in a three-dimensional (3-D) space that describes the rotation of a three-phase voltage vector. This transformation converts a physical quantity that rotates in 3-D space into a value that moves in two-dimensional (2-D) space. Subsequently, the use of synchronous reference frame (SRF) transformation enables the detection and control of the voltage magnitude in case of an SLG fault. Additionally, switching vectors are selected to apply zero voltage to the faulty phase by analyzing the switching vector diagram of a four-leg inverter. Mathematical analyses conducted for the entire process are detailed herein. Further, the experimental results of four-leg inverters designed for the 10 kW class verify the proposed strategies.

Multi-carrier switching strategy for high-bandwidth potential balancing control of multilevel inverters

<span lang="EN-US">This paper confers on investigation of a direct torque control (DTC) of induction motor drive by 3 level neutral point clamp (NPC) multilevel inverter. The imbalance problem may deteriorate the electric drive performances which might cause a short circuit condition. Various balancing control strategies were proposed, however, most of them employed complex space vector modulation (SVM) and hysteresis-based controller that generates variable switching frequencies. The proposed method will offer a reliable balancing control strategy with a constant switching frequency, and moreover, it will provide excellent electric drive performances. This research proposed a new multi carrier switching modulation strategy that establish a high-band-width control for neutral point potential in the NPC inverter. Potency of the proposed high-bandwidth potential balancing strategy is validated through the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.</span>

Analysis and Control of Critical Conduction Mode High-Frequency Single-Phase Transformerless PV Inverter

This article presents a critical conduction mode (CRM) single-phase transformerless full-bridge inverter in a residential photovoltaic system. The CRM full-bridge inverter in bipolar mode features zero-voltage switching capability for the whole line cycle. This enables the inverter to push switching frequency up to hundreds of kHz and achieve high power density with high efficiency. However, CRM operation incurs nonconstant common mode (CM) voltage during the resonant period, causing high frequency leakage current. To minimize the leakage current, a new switching modulation strategy is proposed introducing triangular current mode (TCM) near the ac voltage zero crossing. The switching modulation scheme alleviates the CM voltage by shortening the resonant period and consequently reduces the leakage current. Then, discontinuous conduction mode is inserted between the CRM and TCM operation regions to improve light load efficiency. In this article, the basic operation principle of the CRM full-bridge inverter, impacts of CRM operation on the leakage current, and details of the proposed switching modulation method are discussed. Experimental results with a 2.4-kW prototype built with GaN devices validate its performance.

Three-Port Series-Resonant DC/DC Converter for Automotive Charging Applications

In the energy distribution grid of electric vehicles (EVs), multiple different voltage potentials need to be interconnected, to allow arbitrary power flow between the various energy sources and the different electrical loads. However, between the different potentials, galvanic isolation is absolutely necessary, either due to safety reasons and/or due to different grounding schemes. This paper presents an isolated three-port DC/DC converter topology, which, in combination with an upstream PFC rectifier, can be used as combined EV charger for interconnecting the single-phase AC mains, the high-voltage (HV) battery and the low-voltage (LV) bus in EVs. The proposed topology comprises two synergetically controlled and magnetically coupled converter parts, namely, a series-resonant converter between the PFC-sided DC-link capacitor and the HV battery, as well as a phase-shifted full-bridge circuit equivalent in the LV port, and is mainly characterized by simplicity in terms of control and circuit complexity. For this converter, a simple soft switching modulation scheme is proposed and comprehensively analyzed, in consideration of all parasitic components of a real converter implementation. Based on this analysis, the design of a 3.6 kW, 500 V/500 V/15 V prototype is discussed, striving for the highest possible power density and as low as possible manufacturing costs, by using PCB-integrated windings for all magnetic components. The hardware demonstrator achieves a measured full-load efficiency in charge mode of 96.5% for nominal operating conditions and a power density of 16.4 kWL−1.

Switching Modulation Strategies for Multilevel Inverter

There is always a need to create efficient and optimized converters to deliver the best possible results to achieve a better THD profile in the waveform output. One way is by controlling the switching of the power switches of the converters using appropriate modulation schemes. While numerous works have been done in proposing new switching modulation strategies for multilevel inverters, this work will compare multicarrier PWM and near-to-level control (NLC) modulation schemes. In this paper, multicarrier PWM variants, namely, PD-PWM, POD-PWM, and APOD-PWM, are designed and simulated. Their voltage THD and spectrum performance are discussed when applied to single-phase 7, 9, and 11-level cascaded multilevel inverters. Then NLC modulation will be designed and applied to similar multilevel inverter circuits. It will be shown that the NLC exhibits some superior performances compared to PWM-based but with several drawbacks that can be optimized.

A developed combined control method for induction machine drives based on PWM

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a combined control (CC) technique based on the direct torque control (DTC) strategy and vector control (VC) method, to improve the overall performance of a three-phase induction machine (TPIM) drives.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed control scheme includes a table-based DTC strategy in connection with a proportional-integral-sliding mode controller and pulse width modulation switching strategy. The control system has merits of DTC technique such as simple structure, less dependent on machine parameters, fast dynamic response and merits of VC technique such as high accuracy and constant switching frequency.FindingsTo validate the effectiveness of the proposed control system, simulation and experimental studies are carried out for a 0.75 kW TPIM in different operating conditions. The achieved results show the superiority of the proposed method in terms of fast dynamics and simple structure compared to the VC strategy and low speed and torque ripples and constant switching frequency compared to the DTC method.Originality/valueCompared to the conventional CC strategies, the control law of the proposed method is based on DTC theory and modulation is established based on VC. In other words, the variable switching frequency which is one of the main disadvantages of the conventional CC strategies is rectified using the proposed CC scheme.

Calculation of Semiconductor Power Losses of a Three-Phase Quasi-Z-Source Inverter

This paper presents two novel algorithms for the calculation of semiconductor losses of a three-phase quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI). The conduction and switching losses are calculated based on the output current-voltage characteristics and switching characteristics, respectively, which are provided by the semiconductor device manufacturer. The considered inverter has been operated in a stand-alone operation mode, whereby the sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) with injected 3rd harmonic has been implemented. The proposed algorithms calculate the losses of the insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and the free-wheeling diodes in the inverter bridge, as well as the losses of the impedance network diode. The first considered algorithm requires the mean value of the inverter input voltage, the mean value of the impedance network inductor current, the peak value of the phase current, the modulation index, the duty cycle, and the phase angle between the fundamental output phase current and voltage. Its implementation is feasible only for the Z-source-related topologies with the SPWM. The second considered algorithm requires the instantaneous values of the inverter input voltage, the impedance network diode current, the impedance network inductor current, the phase current, and the duty cycle. However, it does not impose any limitations regarding the inverter topology or switching modulation strategy. The semiconductor losses calculated by the proposed algorithms were compared with the experimentally determined losses. Based on the comparison, the correction factor for the IGBT switching energies was determined so the errors of both the algorithms were reduced to less than 12%.

Integrated step‐up non‐isolated inverter with leakage current elimination for grid‐tied photovoltaic system

This study presents a non-isolated step-up inverter without leakage current for low-voltage renewable energy generation such as photovoltaic (PV) cells grid connection. From the structure of the proposed inverter, the negative terminal of the PV array is directly linked with the grid neutral, so the common mode voltage of the parasitic capacitance can be kept constant and the leakage current will not be generated in theory. Moreover, this transformerless inverter can produce an AC output voltage higher than the input DC voltage, which will reduce the sizes of the generation system. A switching modulation strategy carrier-based is analysed in detail when the input inductor current is operated in discontinuous conduction mode. The operation modes of the proposed inverter are also discussed, respectively, in positive and negative half line cycles. Finally, a digital experimental prototype is tested in the laboratory, and the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis.

Research on Topology and Modulation Control Method of a Novel Three-Level Current-Fed DCDC Converter

Multilevel current source converter has the benefits of high output capacity, low current switching stress and low harmonic or ripple content. This paper presents a new topology of three-level current-fed DC/DC converter for superconducting magnetic energy storage application. In this topology, a superconducting inductance acting as a constant current source and a shunt inductance acts as current divider ensure current flows through the power switch components equally to generate immediate level of current. A novel kind of pulse width modulation (PWM) switching strategy for the current instantaneous control of the current source converter was proposed. The modulation switching strategy proposed is able to effectively control the DC current output of the converter. Also, due to the both of proposed topology and control method are quite a simple, it can be easily realized in the practice. Simulation results prove the feasibility and validity of the proposed topology and modulation strategy

A Research on Cascaded H-Bridge Module Level Photovoltaic Inverter Based on a Switching Modulation Strategy

The stable operating region of a photovoltaic (PV) cascaded H-bridge (CHB) grid-tied module level inverter is extended by adopting the hybrid modulation strategy. However, the traditional single hybrid modulation method is unable to regulate the DC-side voltage of each module precisely, which may aggravate the fluctuation of modules’ DC-side voltages or even cause the deviation of modules’ DC-side voltages under some fault conditions and, thus, degrade the energy harvesting of PV panels. To tackle this problem, a switching modulation strategy for PV CHB inverter is proposed in this paper. When the CHB inverter is operating in normal mode, the hybrid modulation strategy containing the zero state is adopted to suppress DC-side voltage fluctuation, thereby, improving the output power of PV modules. When the CHB inverter is operating in fault mode owing to failing solar panels, the hybrid modulation strategy without the zero state is utilized to make the DC-side voltages reach the references and, thus, maintain a higher energy yield under fault conditions. Experimental results achieved by a laboratory prototype of a single-phase eleven-level CHB inverter demonstrate both the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Analysis of Symmetric and Asymmetric Multilevel Inverter Topologies Using Reduced Number of Switching Devices Circuit Structure

This paper presents symmetric and asymmetric multilevel inverter principles using reduced number of switching devices circuit structure. Principally, asymmetric multilevel inverter topology able to produce higher output voltage level without modification of the structure in order to reduce total harmonic distortion at the output voltage. In contrast, the number of switching devices need to be increased with symmetric principle when higher output voltage level is considered. In this study, 5-level reduced number of switching devices circuit structure is selected as a circuit configuration for symmetric (5-level structure) and asymmetric (7-level and 9-level structures) multilevel inverters. For switching strategy, modified pulse width modulation and sinusoidal pulse width modulation are selected to produce output voltage levels of the inverter. Modified pulse width modulation used low switching frequency in producing signal and needs higher output voltage levels to achieve low total harmonic distortion. In contrast, sinusoidal pulse width modulation used high switching frequency in order to minimize total harmonic distortion. Theoretically, total harmonic distortion is reduced when number of output voltage level is increased for both cases. The findings show that, the 9-level asymmetric topology has lower total harmonic distortion compared to the 5-level symmetric topology and 7-level asymmetric topology, whereby these inverters using the same circuit configuration. The results show that, the total harmonic distortions of 9-level asymmetric topology, 7-level asymmetric topology and 5-level symmetric topology are 14.54%, 18.08% and 26.92%, respectively with sinusoidal pulse width modulation switching strategy. Meanwhile, with modified pulse width modulation switching strategy, the total harmonic distortions of 9-level asymmetric topology, 7-level asymmetric topology and 5-level symmetric topology are 18.7%, 21.68% and 28.99%, respectively. Therefore, 9-level asymmetric with sinusoidal pulse width modulation switching strategy show the lowest total harmonic distortion with optimum number of switching devices.

Optimal preview stator voltage‐oriented control of DFIG WECS

In this study, a new optimal preview control (OPC) is proposed for stator active and reactive power controls of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) wind energy conversion system (WECS). These powers are controlled by rotor currents to avoid the stator active and reactive power pulsations. This OP controller is designed based on linear quadratic regulator (LQR) approach. In view of efficient superior tracking and disturbance rejection ability, OPC is chosen to control active and reactive powers of WECS. The proposed OPC is designed in order to minimise the error due to cross-coupling-induced electromotive force (emf) and emf-induced due to stator flux using feedforward compensation loops. This controller is developed for both sub-synchronous and super-synchronous modes of DFIG with stator voltage-oriented control (SVOC). An augmented error system is derived for tracking the desired response (active and reactive power controls) of DFIG WECS. Then, the constraints in error state equation are minimised by selecting quadratic performance index in which weighing factors are used for achieving faster rotor current control dynamics. Finally, pulse width modulation switching scheme for voltage-source converters has been designed with outputs of rotor current control loop dynamics. Extensive simulations are conducted using MATLAB/Simulink and then experiments are carried out using OPAL-RT and hardware set-up developed in the laboratory for DFIG WECS for validating the efficacy of the proposed control algorithm. The performances of the proposed LQR-OPC are compared with that of sliding mode field-oriented control (SM-FOC) and direct torque control (SM-DTC). From the comparison, it is observed that the LQR-OPC algorithm with SVOC technique applied to DFIG WECS provides excellent steady-state stability and zero steady-state error in face of transient disturbances both on rotor side and grid side compared with traditional FOC and DTC methods.

A 13-Levels Module (K-Type) With Two DC Sources for Multilevel Inverters

This paper presents a new reconfiguration module for asymmetrical multilevel inverters in which the capacitors are used as the dc links to create the levels for staircase waveforms. This configuration of the multilevel converter makes a reduction in dc sources. On the other hand, it is possible to generate 13 levels with lower dc sources. The proposed module of the multilevel inverter generates 13 levels with two unequal dc sources (2 V DC and 1 V DC). It also involves two chargeable capacitors and 14 semiconductor switches. The capacitors are self-charging without any extra circuit. The lower number of components makes it desirable to be used in wide range of applications. The module is schematized as two back-to-back T-type inverters and some other switches around it. Also, it can be connected as a cascade modular which leads to a modular topology with more voltage levels at higher voltages. The proposed module makes the inherent creation of the negative voltage levels without any additional circuit (such as H-bridge circuit). Nearest level control switching modulation scheme is applied to achieve high-quality sinusoidal output voltage. Simulations are executed in MATLAB/Simulink and a prototype is implemented in the power electronics laboratory in which the simulation and experimental results show a good performance.

Fault-Tolerant Control of NPC Three-Level Inverters-Fed Double-Stator-Winding PMSM Drives Based on Vector Space Decomposition

The purpose of this paper is to study and propose the fault-tolerant control schemes for neutral-point-clamped (NPC) three-level inverters-fed permanent magnet synchronous motor drive with double stator windings. Both open-phase faults and open-switch faults are considered. The proposed schemes maintain the advantages of vector space decomposition (VSD) control for multiple-stator-winding drives, where the torque of multiple windings is controlled as a whole. Different optimization goals such as minimum copper loss and minimum current amplitude variance are achieved in the proposed fault-tolerant control for open-phase faults. Moreover, the impacts of open-switch faults on voltage vectors of the drive are analyzed, and the VSD-based remedial schemes are proposed for symmetric operation under open-switch faults by adjusting the switching modulation strategies. The current harmonics and dc-link midpoint voltage deviation are suppressed well with the proposed schemes. Both simulation and experimental results are given to verify the validity of the proposed modulation strategies and control schemes under faulty conditions.